The invention relates to a system for keeping a human warm and comfortable even under the coldest and highest wind conditions that might be encountered in cold weather climates around the world. The system is designed for maintaining the comfort for a human, both while awake and active and when asleep, in temperatures from -60.degree. F. to +40.degree. F., and in winds up to 100 miles per hour. This system achieves this goal with a minimum number of component parts, each component part having a number of features to make it flexible to adapt to various temperature and/or wind conditions, or being readily stored or deployed for adjusting the system depending upon the weather conditions.
The, footwear, hand garments, hats, and face tunnel components that may be utilized in the system according to the present invention have been described in detail in other, co-pending applications. For example, the hand protection/mittens, including wind mitts, may be seen in co-pending application Ser. No. 58,891, filed June 5, 1987, and a variation thereof is disclosed in co-pending application Ser. No. 918,920, filed Oct. 15, 1986. The cold weather footwear is disclosed in co-pending application Ser. No. 24,558, filed Mar. 11, 1987. The cold weather hat is shown in application Ser. No. 76,011, filed July 21, 1987, and the face tunnel is shown in application Ser. No. 52,989, filed May 22, 1987. Additionally, the sleeping bag has been described in detail in a prior, co-pending application Ser. No. 12,954, filed Feb. 10, 1987. The present application primarily relates to the components for protecting the torso and legs of the wearer, as well as accessory components associated with the sleeping bag.
According to the present invention, the main everyday components comprise a shirt and pants. The shirt and pants typically provide protection in the temperature range of -20 F.-+40.degree. F. at low to moderate activity levels, and with low winds. Separate wind garments, primarily a wind shirt and wind pants, are also provided. The wind garments are worn over the other clothing, and in fact are outside the thermal shell defined by the other clothing. The wind garments effectively extend the lower range of temperature of the garments with which they are utilized about 10.degree. F. in still air, and lower the wind chill factor 50.degree.-60.degree.. The wind garments may be readily stored and deployed, are lightweight, and may readily be transported by the wearer. A cold weather parka also is provided. The parka has a windskirt which prevents excessive cooling as a result of wind blowing underneath the garment. The parka is designed to be worn over the shirt and pants, and the wind garments may be worn over the parka too. The parka lowers the comfortable temperature range by about 25.degree. F. The parka is also adapted to cooperate with the wind shirt to provide an emergency sleeping bag.
The invention utilizes a cold weather shirt and a cold weather pair of pants that have thermally insulating high air porosity inner portions, and a low air porosity outer portion. Means are provided for connecting the inner and outer portions together so that the outer portion can be moved from a first position in which it selectively covers substantially the entire inner portion to provide maximum warmth and wind resistance, to a second position in which it exposes a portion of the inner portion to atmospheric air to thereby reduce the warmth and wind resistance provided by the shirt and pants. This is what allows the shirt and pants to function to keep the wearer comfortable in the entire temperature range of -20.degree. F.-+40.degree. F. The shirt also includes snap fasteners or the like that allows the lapel and related portions to be snapped back to provide for additional venting.
The inner portions of the everyday shirt and pants are preferably of three layers, an inner fabric layer of synthetic material, an open cell foam layer which will typically have a thickness of greater than 1/4 inch, but may be less depending upon the particular foam characteristics and surface manifestations, and an outer highly porous fabric portion. The outer shell fabric comprises a fabric which has excellent wind resistance while still having good moisture vapor transmission characteristics. Such an outer shell fabric is shown in co-pending application Ser. No. 885,444, filed July 14, 1986, and typically would have an air permeability of less than 15 cubic feet/min./ft..sup.2 at 0.5 inches head of water (and sometimes less than 10), and a moisture vapor transmission of at least 1,000 grams/m..sup.2 /24 hr. The entire garments when utilized together would have a vapor transmission of at least 500 grams/m..sup.2 /24 hr.
Typical fabrics for the outer, shell fabric of the garments, include VERSATECH, and tightly woven polyamide yarn fabrics having a warp count of between about 63-79 (e.g. 79) and a filling yarn count of between about 56-61, e.g. such as shown in said application Ser. No. 885,444. The foam portions of the garments, and related components, may also assume the configuration such as shown in co-pending application Ser. No. 879,053, filed June 26, 1986, Ser. No. 31,661, filed Mar. 30, 1987, or Ser. No. 15,981, filed Feb. 18, 1987. The cold weather parka typically has the same basic constructural components as the shirt and pants but includes a windskirt at the bottom thereof, and the parka extends downwardly to approximately the wearer's knees.
The accessory components associated with the sleeping bag comprise a moisture handling pad/deicing cloth, a bivvy sack, and compressor bags, one each for the sleeping bag and the moisture handling pad. The moisture handling pad/deicing pad is designed to be disposed beneath the sleeping bag. The moisture handling pad conducts moisture that migrates from the bottom of the sleeping bag. It moves the moisture into the deicing cloth directly below the moisture handling pad. The moisture collects in the deicing cloth and freezes on it within the deicing cloth fabric. The frozen moisture can then be physically removed. This arrangement prevents buildup of moisture and ice in the sleeping bag itself even over extended use in extreme cold. The bivvy sack is disposed beneath the moisture handling pad, and encircles the moisture handling pad and the sleeping bag to provide additional wind and rain protection, camouflaging in snow, and an optional mini-tent to provide additional room at the head area while protecting it. The compressor bags function to compress the sleeping bag and moisture handling pad to manageable sizes so that they may be readily transported.
It is the primary object of the present invention to provide a cold weather system that allows comfort for the wearer, both when active or asleep, over an extraordinarily wide temperature range of about -60.degree. F.-+40.degree. F., and with winds for 0 to 100 miles per hour, yet includes a minimum number of components. This and other objects of the invention will become clear from an inspection of the detailed description of the invention and from the appended claims.